Illinois Weather Trivia for June 5th

6/5/1805

A family of tornadoes tracked from southeast Missouri across the southern third of Illinois, and may also have moved into Indiana. These moved across the Mississippi River about 20 miles downstream from St. Louis. Fish were reportedly "scattered all over the prairie" on the Illinois side of the river. Some pine tree tops, not native to that area of Illinois, were believed to have been blown in from at least 50 miles away. The easternmost documented damage was south of present-day Albion, in Edwards County. A straight line between these areas would indicate the tornadoes also tracked across present-day Mount Vernon, but an exact track could not be determined due to lack of settlements in the area at the time.

6/5/1960

A strong tornado took a 55 mile path across east central Illinois, from Bloomington south-southeast to Farmer City to Sadorus. Although the tornado was on the ground only part of the time, major damage occurred to farmsteads near Farmer City, Ivesdale, and Sadorus.